Today we’ll be reviewing the stand alone D5 pump top (aka the “SAP”) from Monsoon’s MMRS (Monsoon Modular Reservoir System) range of premium water cooling gear. It features a tough nylon top with machined aluminum cover and color matched mounting bracket and bolts.
If you are not familiar with the Monsoon brand, they’ve been putting out some of the best products available for water cooling enthusiasts for the past 4 or 5 years, and previous to that the team were tied in with designs for other companies such as Danger Den. I want to quote from the Company Info page on the Monsoon website because I couldn’t word it better myself:
“With a focus primarily targeted at premium products and a passion for PC water cooling and case modding, Monsoon has steadily built it’s brand on a reputation for innovative designs, high quality manufacturing and responsible membership in the water cooling and case modding community”
and
“Our goal each day is to design and manufacture the best products we can in the most environmentally responsible manner possible and to provide our customers with premium products and quality service at a value price”
Monsoon are probably best know for their Compression Fittings and Dual Bay Reservoirs, which we have have reviewed previously. The new MMRS range seems like a natural progression for Monsoon, as it expands on their existing range while keeping nearly all the current color options available. For the end user this means they can continue using their existing Monsoon fittings with any of the new MMRS parts and know they will be color matched perfectly.
We have received a massive allotment of MMRS parts to review, so while we are starting with the D5 top please remember to stay tuned for more MMRS reviews soon!
In this review we’ll be checking out the MMRS-SAP-WH or in full the Monsoon Modular Reservoir System – Stand Alone Pump – White.
Pump tops are in general a pretty basic item, so this review will feature lots of photos. We’ll do a tear down, a step by step assembly, then go through our performance test results with data comparisons and finish off with a summary.
As a long time supplier of parts for review, Monsoon are one of Extreme Rigs most valued sponsors. We understand that smaller companies don’t have big allowances for review samples, so a big thanks to all the crew at Monsoon for their continued support.
Previously I mentioned the full product code which designates the item in the Monsoon range of water cooling gear. So let’s break down the code for the pump top we are reviewing, which is MMRS-SAP-WH.
MMRS is the “family” the item belongs to. Today we a have an item from the Monsoon Modular Reservoir System:
– SAP is an abbreviated item description, in this case Stand Alone Pump (Top)
– WH is an abbreviation of the color of the item, white in our case.
This coding system of family-item-color is used with all of Monsoon’s range, so its worth getting familiar with when you are looking to order Monsoon parts.
The MMRS-SAP comes packaged in a sturdy little dark grey box featuring a few images and bold lettering giving a clear indication of what it contains.
A Monsoon product code sticker is affixed to one side, and as we learnt already WH is short for White. Therefore it is safe to assume that no matter which of the 7 color options currently available you have decided on (YES I said 7 color options), each will have the same packaging which features the red parts pictured.
NOTE: the fittings pictured on the packaging are not supplied with the pump top.
Opening up, we catch a glimpse of the carefully packaged pump top assembly through a thin foam bag.
Tucked down into a corner was a plastic bag containing an O-Ring Seal and 2 x Allen Keys. At the bottom we also found a template for marking out hole locations for the mounting bracket. No assembly instructions or documentation of any kind is included which we find both unusual, yet understandable. A video tutorial is available to view online however, and is a handy reference to go along with our step by step in the next 2 pages.
The thin plastic template is a great inclusion and takes away the task of having to make your own which we so often have to do when mounting parts in our chassis.
As one should expect the template is a perfect match to the holes on the mounting plate, which Monsoon have nicknamed “The Grass Hopper”. It wasn’t until I saw a grass hopper’s large back legs in my yard that I saw some resemblance (when fully assembled) and hence their nick name for the mounting plate.
Inside the bag is an O-Ring seal for your pump and 2 Allen Keys which appear to be 2mm and 3mm.
Removing the protective foam bag and we lay eyes on the fully assembled MMRS-SAP D5 pump top assembly, and what a fine looking specimen it is too.
These first 5 pictures represent a horizontal installation (floor mounted for example) where the inlet port is horizontal and the outlet is vertical. We’ll go into detail of each of the parts when we break down the assembly on the next page, so for now relax and enjoy some eye candy.
Now some alternate views as if the assembly was mounted vertically to a chassis “wall” panel and the inlet port would be…..you guessed it, vertical.
In general we prefer a D5 to be used in a vertical orientation and directly by a reservoir because it allows for easier bleeding/filling of the pump volute.
My first impression of the MMRS-SAP is that it looks sensational. It feels solid and has attention to detail everywhere you look. The ribbed pump cover and unique mounting bracket are stand out features. The color matched cap screws look great, but the 2 small stainless steel grub screws kind of stand out because they are not color matched like everything else.
So far, so good then.
Let’s take a closer look by breaking the assembly down and scrutinize each part.
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